There are many famous pilgrimages in India but the most visited one is Sabarimala even more than the world-famous monument of the world that is taj mahal agra because as per some data, more than 30 million pilgrims visit the temple annually but after some controversy, visitors to the temple raised now. Sabarimala is a temple town situated on the banks of the Pampa River. The temple is located inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. Sabarimala gives the shelter to the famous Ayyapa temple.

If we go into details of the temple then people believe that Parashurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, the idol of Ayyappa was placed on the top of the mountain. The temple is also known as the Dharma Sashta, the feminine personification of Lord Vishnu and it is also believed to be the son of Mohini and Shiva. One can see that the traditions of Sabarimala are a combination of Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Shaivism, and other Sramana traditions. The controversial thing about the temple was the age group of 12-50 years of women couldn’t enter the temple during the menstrual cycle until the Supreme Court of India overturned the restriction from the ban on 28^th September 2018. The temple is situated between eighteen hills and the dense forest that surrounds the temple is known as Poongavanam. People climb the hills from Plapalli, then to Angamuzhi, then to Mujiyar, and finally to Sabarigiri Road. The timing of the temple to open, you should know because the temple is open on the first five days of each Malayalam month, with the most crowds during Mandala Puja, Makaravilakku, or Makar Sankranti.

Apart from this, you can explore Ayyappa Temple, Makaravilakku, Vavar Shrine, Malikkappuram Devi Temple, Erumeli, Pampa Ganapathy Temple, etc. There are other sightseeing places you can explore Tourists think only taj mahal sunrise tour is the place to see in Agra but a big no there are other sightseeing you should visit such as the Agra Bharatpur tour package, Agra fort, Akbar tomb, and many more. 

Best Time To Visit: In the temple throughout the year pilgrims visit whether the temperate is favorable condition or not but Sabrimala has enjoyable weather with a tropical climate and moderate temperature. The temperature lies between the 20 to 37 degrees Celsius. November to February and April to September will be the ideal time to visit.    

How To Reach?

Sabarimala is outside the main town and there is no direct airport or railway station to reach the temple. The nearest international airports are Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi which are almost about 104km from the place but there is one more facility which is a helicopter service. The nearest railway stations are Ernakulam, Chenganur, and Kottayam. The nearest bus is at the Pampa bus stand.